By Linda Sutter – August 12, 2022
The People of Del Norte county struggle to keep roofs over their heads, lights on and food on their table. Measure R created a massive unfunded pension liability instead of doing what the Board of Supervisors led the people to believe, which was repair roads, help law enforcement, the Fire Department, and the Ambulance.
To Date the Board of Supervisors increased each law enforcement agency workers wage $300.00- 500.00 per month when they already were making well over $100,000.00 per year including benefits. Everyone saw the inhumane conditions of a less than 30 year jail that was kept by the very officers who are now receiving $300.00-500.00 per month wage increase. And let us not forget the $3.2 million dollars the Sheriff Department is receiving from the government that is kept very quiet.
How many of you who work in the private sector of the hospital, Walmart, Safeway, Rite Aid, Home Depot, Walgreens, the Dollar Store, or any other business received a $300-500 dollar per month increase in your wages? How many of you received an increase in your rent?
In the meantime Measure R Citizen Oversight Committee (COC) Chair took a stance against we the people by shaking his head in disbelief because we the people want to repeal the tax and were guaranteed in writing we could repeal this forever tax anytime we decided.
So we took action and now the Board of Supervisors such as Chris Howard and the rest of them want to beat us up for exercising our liberty? What does that remind you of? Additionally, the COC failed to conduct their due diligence when they didn’t bother adding up the numbers Neil Lopez gave them. I took the time to do that and Mr. Lopez padded that $748,000.00 quite a bit. No explanation was given on that. In fact, in his own words, “our county generated more tax revenue than we had figured and we can pay for 3 patrol cars out of the general fund.” What else can you pay for Neil since you’re jumping from one day to the next what is actually getting spent.
Heidi Kunstal, the Community Development Head writes to Chris Howard and states, “maybe we can use this against the repeal of Measure R.” Heidi Kunstal makes in excess of 158,000.00 per year without benefits. I guess she wants to keep measure R after all she is not hurting with rent, lights or food.
In closing, Inflation has caused most people to drive to Brookings for gas, food, going out, and other things. Don’t let the County leaders crocodile tears move you, it’s all for show to line their own pockets, cause more inflation, and drive the poorest of poor from their homes.
Measure R must go.
